| The remains of former President Jimmy Carter arrived in Washington, D.C. Tuesday as part of his final farewell. Carter, the 39th president, was honored with a ceremony in the U.S. Capitol and is scheduled to lie in state through Thursday morning . The ceremony was pushed back an hour and a half from its initial time due to the snow and inclement weather that has covered the D.C. metro. The solemn ceremony featuring family, past associates, dignitaries and politicians of both parties was part of a series of public remembrances. His state funeral will be Thursday at Washington National Cathedral. Carter will be flown back to his home state of Georgia to be buried alongside wife, Rosalynn, in Plains.
The public will get a look into the burglary trial of a sitting state senator. A Becker County judge granted a request allowing Minnesota news outlets to record Sen. Nicole Mitchell’s jury trial later this month. Judge Michael Fritz granted requests from MPR News, WCCO-TV, KARE 11, KSTP, FOX 9, Valley News Live and the Minnesota Star Tribune to gather video and audio recordings from Mitchell’s trial, saying the case is of heightened public interest because she is a public official. Don’t expect to see the proceedings live streamed because the judge ruled that out.
Another residency challenge has been lodged against a DFLer trying to become a legislator. A petition filed by a voter asks the state Supreme Court to declare Democratic candidate Mohamed Jama ineligible to run for an open Senate seat. Jama is one of eight Democrats vying for their party’s nomination while two Republicans are running for the post left vacant following the death of Democratic Sen. Kari Dziedzic. State law says candidates must live in the district they plan to represent for at least six months prior to the election. The primary is Jan. 14. Jama hasn't responded to a request for comment. The high court set a quick timetable for written responses and said any oral arguments, should there be a need, would happen Friday. The legal challenge follows a residency court challenge that cost Democrats a tie in the House. A special election to fill that vacancy is also planned for this month. The legislative session begins next Tuesday, the same day as that special primary election. Keep those calendars up to date.
As you just read, the 2025 legislative session begins next week — at least we think it’ll get started. Brinkmanship we’ve seen in recent days could be a bad sign for a productive beginning or even delay the organization needed for the House to conduct its business. The Senate might not be a cakewalk either given a 33-33 tie that will last at least a couple of weeks. All of it could forecast a tough year in which passage of a new budget must occur. MinnPost’s Peter Callaghan walks through all of it and takes readers to the ignominious possibility of shutdown, which as he notes would be unlike those of the past due to a Supreme Court ruling the last time lawmakers took things to the brink.
Another recently passed Minnesota law is tied up in court. A cookware industry trade group has sued over a phased-in state ban on products that contain PFAS, also known as "forever chemicals.” The federal lawsuit filed Monday comes from the Cookware Sustainability Alliance, which represents leading makers of pots, pans and other cooking tools that could be affected by the Minnesota law. The group argues Minnesota can’t regulate interstate commerce with the law. Amara’s Law seeks to ban the sale and distribution of cookware and other products containing the chemicals which have been linked to health problems including cancer. The MPCA declined to comment on the specifics of the pending case, but a spokeswoman reiterated that the law, which went into effect Jan. 1, is quote “legally sound.”
The short Tim Walz run for vice president is a topic of interest for Minnesota historians. Minnesota Historical Society curators are gathering 3D objects and digital materials to document the Minnesota governor’s abbreviated time in the national political spotlight. So far they’ve scooped up signs and other campaign memorabilia, including one of those camouflage hats.
Finally, the next four years will bring plenty of unpredictable moments from a president who is just fine announcing policy on the fly. President-elect Donald Trump’s latest pre-inauguration news conference (he’s already taken far more questions from reporters than the incumbent since the election) had its share. He called the border between the U.S. and Canada “an artificially drawn line,” and said he’d be fine with the northern neighbor being absorbed into this country. He didn’t rule out military force to gain control of the Panama Canal and Greenland (where Donald Trump Jr. paid a visit yesterday). He said the Gulf of Mexico would be renamed the Gulf of America (a Republican lawmaker almost immediately introduced legislation to carry out that wish). In other words, what’s on Trump’s mind could very well be before Congress in a flash. | 